The Rammer Jammer: Live mascots, FIFA refs and a top-5 list

Good morning. The Rammer Jammer is a daily rundown of everything you need to know about Alabama athletics, published every weekday morning.

For the second time, we pause for our friends at LSU. Mike the Tiger (sixth edition) was euthanized yesterday, after nine years of service, suffering from cancer. I saw Mike several times over the last several years, and he was a beautiful creature. He meant more than one might expect to that campus and community, and they will miss him dearly. The search for his successor is ongoing, and this time, may be exceptionally complicated.

Video by Moe Athmann of The Advocate.

As it occasionally does, the conversation around Mike the Tiger turned to the possibility of introducing a live elephant to Alabama’s campus. This will never happen, but that didn’t stop linebacker Rashaan Evans from fantasizing about riding one into the stadium.

Unbeknownst to many, Alabama actually had a live elephant mascot at one point in time, predating Big Al: Alamite, a fixture on campus in the 1940s. As that Roll Bama Roll rundown points out, Alabama would occasionally trot out elephants on special occasions as late as the 1990s.

Alabama’s top-5 … games against Tennessee

This is, admittedly, an extensive list, with the series currently boasting 99 installments. Presented in no particular order, and one man’s opinion based on cursory research and somewhat detailed knowledge of Alabama football history:

5)October 16, 1966 — Alabama 11, Tennessee 10

Alabama fell behind 10-0 early in this game, then put together a comeback to preserve an undefeated season by the thinnest of margins.

4) October 18, 1930 — Alabama 18, Tennessee 6

Tennessee, under the direction of General Bob Neyland, entered this game on a 34-game winning streak. Alabama tossed them aside in what was then Denny Stadium, paving the way to the Rose Bowl and the team’s third national championship.

3) October 19, 1935 — Alabama 25, Tennessee 0

Alabama stomped Tennessee in this game, which the Knoxville Sentinel called “the most embarrassing defeat in the history of the series” at the time. This game is most notable for Paul “Bear” Bryant’s performance, which he later called the best of his career, despite playing on a broken leg.

2) October 21, 1961 — Alabama 34, Tennessee 3

This game marked the beginning of Bryant’s dominance over Tennessee as a coach, the first win for the Crimson Tide over its rival since 1954. The 31-point spread is the third biggest in series history, tied with two other games. The Crimson Tide own all five of the biggest victories in series history. Most importantly, this game initiated the victory cigar tradition that both teams currently enjoy. Well, one team more often than another, but you get the point.

1) October 24, 2009 – Alabama 12, Tennessee 10 – Rocky Block

This game might have been terribly, horrifically tense, but its ending remains one of the great moments in Alabama football history. Terrence Cody’s block of Tennessee’s game-winning field goal attempt preserved a national championship season that kickstarted the new era of Alabama football. I nearly broke several objects in my living room during this game, and it’s the earliest time I can remember performing the “surrender cobra.” Like many, my brother refused to watch this kick, even though he was in the stands, because he didn’t want to see Alabama lose to Tennessee.